 I first met her majesty when I was seven years old and her presence throughout my life had been constant, inspiring, and graceful. As prime minister, I benefited from her counsel, her thoughtfulness, her curiosity, her sense of humor, and the engagement that showed a deep, deep and abiding interest in and love for Canadians. She was our queen for almost half of our country's existence. We came of age under her reign. We adopted a new flag, we repatriated our constitution, created a charter of rights and freedoms, and her steadiness and steadfastness inspired us all. We are in a world full of challenges and difficulties, but her grace and her strength inspire us all to be better. We will always benefit from what she will do to us. We endure as she endures in our hearts, in our vision of a better world and a better Canada for all.